Detroit Pistons cut 3 players who never got in a game

Having three players out for entire preseason make sense?

If these players were truly too hurt to play in a game, why were they not released? Couldn’t Anthony Tarke and/or Deivydas Sirvydis have been brought back? What was the point of keeping three players too injured to play, for the length of training camp?

The true reason is, most likely (and this is based on reading the tea leaves, no inside information), that with so many young players on the roster, and the fact no one had been on the team more than a year, Casey wanted to get the regulars playing time  exclusively. He wanted them to get to know each other and start building some chemistry playing together, as much as possible.

That explains why Luka Garza, who is on an NBA contract but most likely will be third-string center to start, did not get into the 76ers game until there was just three minutes, 30 seconds remaining (where to his credit, he played well and helped stave off the Sixers).

Garza might start out the season with the Cruise as well, just to get some experience. One would have thought, going in, that Garza was another candidate for lots of preseason playing time.

However, Casey was set on getting the players who will really ‘play’ during the regular season, in the preseason games. Assuming the ‘injuries’ were not too severe, Stanley, Walton and Cunningham probably were able to participate in some practices.

Casey figures he, and general manager Troy Weaver, can evaluate them plenty with the Cruise.

Detroit has its reasons. However, to have three end-of-the-roster players all not see even a minute of playing time in the exhibition season, is not the usual thing.